Travel
El Qanater, on film
Fishermen on the old barrages, boats resting on the Nile and tea by the river: a slow day just outside Cairo.
Fishermen along the old barrages, boats resting on the Nile, tea by the river and birds gliding over the water hyacinth. Photographer Omar El Mokhtar spent a day at El Qanater El Khayreya in 2025, shooting on film.
The barrages, built in the 19th century under Muhammad Ali to control the river where it splits into the Damietta and Rosetta branches, are about 20 kilometres north of Cairo. Their gardens have long been a weekend escape for Cairenes.
When was your last trip to El Qanater?
